


Grim Life

by Milia_Malae



Category: Grim Dawn (Video Game), Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Aetherials, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Cairn, Country & Western, F/F, Gen, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Post-Apocalypse, Revenge, Thriller, Western
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-21
Updated: 2017-10-21
Packaged: 2019-01-20 23:39:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12444465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Milia_Malae/pseuds/Milia_Malae
Summary: Revenge story of two traveling monster huntresses, set in a dark world of Cairn from the video game Grim Dawn. Major characters in the story are inspired by the video game series Life is Strange.





	1. Foreword & Trigger Warnings

**Author's Note:**

> I would like to ask you (and recommend to you) reading the foreword and paragraph on trigger warnings. Thank you.  
> Also – English is my second language. Should you find any glaring, problematic grammar errors, do not hesitate to let me know.  
> The story - consisting of 5 chapters (plus prologue) - is now finished and closed. I hope you enjoy it.  
> This work was originally posted on FanFiction.net - I am the original author and I publish it here to make the work more accessible to larger number of fans.
> 
> One of the especially important notes here is - names of the characters (inspired by Life is Strange) are altered to suit the world of Grim Dawn better. More on this in the foreword.
> 
> I'm sorry about the strange chapter numbering, but since I decided to post foreword and prologue separately it "shifted" numbering of the actual chapters. That's why I note the actual chapter number and name inside the text too.

**Trigger Warnings**

The world of Grim Dawn – Cairn – is dark, post-apocalyptic and violent. To fully realize it I describe violence, death and pain graphically. There are many dark themes of loss, trauma and mental stress. The characters do suffer both physically and mentally and the barrage of trigger warnings for this work would be too wide to list here.

But there is one thing I would like to mention separately – this story does contain a character threatening other character with rape. That is all sexually themed content in the story. There are no other scenes or mentions of sex or sexual violence. I know sexual violence is an especially sensitive topic – that is why I give it extra mention here.

I do want to make my characters suffer, but never my readers.

* * *

**Foreword**

This fanfiction came from two collapsing desires of mine.

First desire – to stay a bit longer with the characters from Life is Strange video games. The series just got another installment, so it is no surprise, that the characters were deeply on my mind. I wanted to push them. Put them in extreme situations and show their strengths and weaknesses.

Second desire – to shorten the wait for the release another favorite video game of mine. Grim Dawn – specifically it's expansion – Ashes of Malmouth. I couldn't wait to return to that dark world.

Inspired by classic stories of wild west, buddy detective dramas and the previously mentioned video games I've started to write one of the most strange and clashing crossover fanfictions imaginable.

  * **For Grim Dawn fans:** I do believe you might find this work of mine enjoyable. There are very few fanfictions set in this world and I genuinely tried to replicate it's violent and hopeless feeling as close as possible. On purpose I did not went deep into stories told within the game – I wanted this to be an experience working on it's own. Still, should you find any parts of this work heavily clashing with Grim Dawn's lore, do not be afraid to contact me. I am not opposed to making corrections. This should be fully lore-friendly story after all.
  * **For Life is Strange fans:** Our favorite characters are to be seen here in unique perspective of completely different, post-apocalyptic world. On purpose, I altered characters names and occupations quite heavily. I hope you find entertainment identifying some of them. This work is more "inspired by" Life is Strange, rather than loyal portayal. Still, I do believe some of you will enjoy badass gunslinger Chloe Price, dangerous occultist Max Caulfield and also – the disgusting, violent and highly dangerous villain, that will challenge our heroines, like no one before.



In the end, I'd like to thank you for giving this – my first fully realized fanfiction and my first realized story in English language – a chance. I cannot wait for you to read it and let me know what are your thoughts on it.

Thank you.


	2. Prologue

**Prologue**

The bell tolled from the village. It could be heard clearly from the large farmhouse on the hill, where an old farmer commanded all folks around.

"Is the back gate locked yet?!"

"Anna?!"

"Anna! You and the girls should already be in the hiding place! Like I told you!"

"There is no time to argue!"

A drips of sweat glistening on his forehead, strands of his grey hair around his face. Green light reflected on them. Green light of aether in the skies.

The bell tolled from the village. With it, the screaming could be heard – the jarring, haunting noise of people being robbed of their property, dignity, lives.

Aetherial bastards finally came. With them, the horrors.

The old farmer and his helpers grabbed their weapons – bows, scythes, makeshift maces, even stones and climbed the wooden wall around the farm. Farmer's hand trembled, clutching the old crossbow.

On a horizon, the pale green lights of aether told him, just how much of the village is burning. The distant screams spoke of people dying. And shadows on the farmhouse road said to him, that a group is approaching.

Group was illuminated by a green light.

As they approached, the farmer's group noticed a single horse. On it, a confidently sitting man.

"Not one step more! Or we'll shoot!" – the farmer's voice cracked as he shouted down from the wooden wall.

Down on the road, the group stopped. Men and women, illuminated by the pale green light, armed and armored. Hoods, helmets, coats, swords, axes, guns.

"We shoot on anyone, that...!" – as the farmer started his next sentence, the man, clearly a leader of the group, got down from his horse. With thud, he landed on the dusty road, his henchmen parting to make a way for him.

Then, somebody got nervous. One of the farmhands. One arrow sunk into the chest of the group's leader, down on the road.

The leader looked slowly down, an arrow sticking out of him. He grabbed it, and tore it out of the wound. Black blood spilled on the dusty road as he threw the arrow on the ground.

A few seconds of silence, that seemed like an eternity.

The leader raised his hand, in silence. Only howling of the horrors from the village could be heard in the distance.

Then, the leader's hand pointed toward the wooden gate in the wall. His fingertips glowing in a pale green light of aether.

From them, huge green fireball bursted and hit the gate with deafening noise.

Explosion of the aether completely tore up the wood, leaving a huge, burning gash in the wall. The gate splintered into thousand pieces and scattered around.

The old farmer was only beaten and bruised, but some of his farmhands were much worse of. A smell of blood and burned skin filled the air.

The leader of the attackers walked slowly over the burning ashes of the gate, big scepter covered with metallic thorns dangling from his belt. His henchmen followed him. As he walked slowly to the farmer, they jumped on the farmhands and helpers, started to cut their throats, beat them and shoot them.

As the mayhem swirled around the old farmer, the leader of the attackers stood above him. His weapon sheathed. His voice soft, and chilling – „Farmer Grenz, I presume?" The leader had a small pair of oculars – glasses on his nose, and as he was standing above Grenz they menacingly reflected green lights of the surrounding destruction.

One of the big, muscular bruisers, lifted Grenz from the ground, dragging him towards the farmhouse. The leader calmly walked with them and a few other members of the attacking group joined this small procession.

In front of the farmhouse door, stood a woman, clutching a small hand-fitting blunderbuss.

"Stop right there, you fuckers!" she shouted, pointing her gun towards the approaching group.

"Mrs. Grenz? I wouldn't recommend that." – the soft, chilling voice of the leader, was heard clearly despite the deathly screaming of the people dying behind them.

The big bruiser lifted Mr. Grenz by the collar and put a big rusty blade to his neck.

"You with the aetherials?! Stay back!" – Mrs. Grenz's voice was trembling, but she was fighting her fear bravely.

Once again, the leader spoke in his soft, disgusting voice: „My name is Gaufridson." – reflection of the terrified woman could be seen in his glasses.

"I heard you have the loveliest daughters." – a glimmer of the pale green light could be seen, emitting from his piercing eyes.

"So I've decided to pay you a visit." he continued.

Hands casually folded behind his back, Gaufridson started to walk slowly towards Mrs. Grenz.

"Now, as we might seem a little dangerous to some, I have no doubt, your daughters are hidden well." – he smirked, revealing a chilling smile.

"But don't worry Mrs. Grenz. One of you is going to tell me where I can capture them." – his eyes darted back to shivering Mr. Grenz.

"Now the way I see it, this night is going to be quick and painless, or..."

In that moment, the woman's blunderbuss cracked with the sound of shot. The sound pierced the air, that was immediately filled with black powder.

The bullet hit the Gaufridson in the face, leaving gash that filled with black blood. He didn't even flinch, just smiled. Widely. Unnaturally. In his eyes, aether shined like two beacons of death, that stared the woman down.

Of his belt, he took his scepter. It's metallic thorns started glowing with twisted magic. It lit into green pale fire.

The night was going to be long and painful.


	3. Chapter I – Corruption

**Chapter I – Corruption**

A horse walks slowly towards the crimson sunset. On the horse, a rider is sitting. Wide-brimmed, battered hat on her head shields her eyes from the sunset light. Underneath the hat's brim a cigar tip is glowing, emitting a warm light on rider's face.

The rider rolls the cigar on the other side of her mouth and tugs herself more firmly into her big armored overcoat. Enchanted runes on it sparkle gently. On her feet, hanging down from the horse, a pair of black military boots, covered in dirt of the long roads traveled and dried blood of the battles encountered.

On her belt, two revolvers, enchanted with magic, dangling with each horse's step.

The rider turns in her saddle towards a large travois, fastened behind her horse.

Between the wooden poles of the travois, dragging on the dirty ground, a cloth is stretched. On it a person is laying.

This person – a young woman like the rider – is covered with a blanket and underneath the grey hood on her head, there are bandages covered with dried blood.

Wounds on her head were quite severe, but now, with the influence of mending tonics, they are healing well. She rests as the travois rattle her on the dirty road.

The rattling stopped as the rider ordered the horse to stand. She jumped down, taking a small waterskin fastened on the side of the saddle. Her large overcoat swirled dust from the ground as she landed.

She took a few steps towards her companion on the travois, putting her cigar out. She sat on the rock on the side of the road, facing her laying partner.

"What?" the laying woman asked. Despite her ragged looks, her voice was tender. Much more tender than this fucked-up world deserved, the sitting rider often thought to herself.

"Just checkin' on ya." – the raider drank from the waterskin. "Water?" – she offered her companion.

"Nah, I'm good." she shook her head.

"You should drink more, Xim." the raider frowned on her companion. She got up and returned with the waterskin to her saddle. "And you should take another tonic. You still look like shit."

"Thanks." Xim chuckled. She rose into sitting position and took a look around. With one hand, she took of the grey hood, that restricted her vision. From underneath it, dark brown hair were revealed. Xim's curious eyes of grey and blue took in her surrounding.

They stopped on a clearing of the forest, where two roads met each other. A forest crossroad.

This clearing would make for a bad ambush spot. Well picked place to rest.

The trees were gently swaying in the fall breeze, quietly humming.

"Rett?" – Xim addressed the rider. "Rett?" – she turned around to see the rider.

"Yeah?" the rider turned her head.

"How far from Dimheaven are we?"

Rett pointed towards fallen signpost that Xim didn't notice, laying on the side of the road.

"About three miles." Rett returned to Xim's side, kneeling beside her. A water-soaked handkerchief in her hand.

"Let's get some of this shit off your face." she said as he started gently rubbing some of the blood stains off Xim's face.

"I'm fine." Xim protested. "I could even cast spells again..."

"Don't you fucking dare." Rett smiled.

Rett continued her work, Xim looking on her face underneath the hat. She had short haircut – longest streaks of Rett's brown hair were just long enough to frame her face. One of the streaks was braided and colored blue – like some Rhowari wore.

Women's eyes met. Rett tried to smile at Xim encouragingly. This wasn't her strongest suit.

"Much better." she said, as she folded the bloodied handkerchief. She gave Xim a quick, gentle kiss.

"Ouch" Xim jokingly grinned. Her face still hurt.

Rett stood up. She buried her hand into her dark brown overcoat and pulled out a small, well known flask of bright red liquid. She threw it to Xim. "Chug." she commanded.

Xim obeyed, although with resentful face. She drank about three quarters of the vial, and then handed the rest to Rett. Xim's pale, freckled face was twisted with disgust.

Rett raised her eyebrow.

"Nope. You know how much I hate it." Xim extended her hand towards the standing woman.

Rett just sighed. She took the the vial and drank the rest of it with one gulp. Bittersweet, thick taste spread through her body. Aches from the road feeling better almost instantly.

"You better not die on me one of these days." Rett muttered grimly as she started to walk away from Xim towards the horse.

"I'm the one supposed to die doing this shit." with crooked smile, Rett checked her guns.

Xim tugged herself back into her blanket, Rett climbed back on the horse.

They had three more miles to Dimheaven.

* * *

Xim woke from the haze of dreams. Breathing sharply and in cold sweat.

Sleep was something she struggled with. Horrors of the pain and madness. Anger of the dying god.

"The usual?" Rett asked her, compassion in her voice. She knew of Xim's struggles.

"Yeah." Xim replied.

"Dimheaven has to be no more than mile away. But I want to stop. Somethin' is wrong." Rett kept her voice quiet.

"They always kept the aetherials away from the village. They usually ended up in the forest down south. From where we came." Rett continued quietly.

"Did I sleep through any?" Xim asked hopefully.

"No."

"Oh, no." Xim got ready to get up.

"Give me a second, we'll stop under that hill." Rett noted.

Rett bent forward, keeping the horse calm. Her eyes carefully eying the surrounding from under her hat.

Underneath the blanket Xim clutched her arcane tome. She could feel familiar, comforting warmth as the ignited runes within the pages.

When they stopped. Both women started to prepare their equipment.

Rett put her blue strand of hair behind her ear as she checked her revolvers. She adjusted the chestplate under her runed overcoat and fastened any loose belts.

Xim checked her arcane robes, her tome, her sword. Xim's equipment started to emit gentle light of red and pink as she focused the energy of chaos through her body.

"Now, let's hope, they've been extra busy with extermination." Rett said quietly.

Xim was worried. There were not many good people left in the world. And there were at least a few of them in Dimheaven. A few, that they both owed a lot.

* * *

Rett lost her father to the aetherials when she was but a child. Her mother had a hard time caring for her so she put her to apprenticeship of Kymon's Chosen. And since Rett was good with guns, she ended up learning from the Inquisitors of the Luminari Order.

And then... She ran from them. Rogue inquisitor. She didn't do well with any authority.

Rett ended up with Rhowari folks for about a year. But despite her leaving Luminari Order she still wanted to hunt the corrupted. And Rhowari don't believe in violence.

She traveled the land, working for food and shelter, killing monsters, Aetherials, cultists, anything that came in front of her gun's barrels.

One day she discovered a group of cultists. The whole village of them. Working in secret, stealing kids and kidnapping people from the whole region. They were devoted to Ch'thon – undying remnants of a god from the void. They reveled in blood and unholy magic that uses it.

Rett didn't remember much from that fight. She wanted to surprise them, but the bastards were faster. In a rush of adrenaline, she had to fight for her life. She survived. And killed everyone she encountered. In the interconnected maze of cellars she saw the bloody paintings on the walls, the unholy runes, the dead bodies, cut apart for every single drop of their blood.

It seemed like everyone is finally dead. Rett's gear was seriously beaten and her leg bleeding from one of the knives that got through her armor.

Then, she encountered the only survivor of her violent rage. In one of the living cells, a young woman was quietly crying. She was her age. Barely twenty years old.

The woman was in simple dark robes with Ch'thon's markings, clearly an apprentice, or a servant. On the robes a stains of layers of blood. Efforts of washing were noticeable but to little effect. Who knows how long she spent caked in blood. Her hair sticky with it, her fingernails dirty with brown, dried layers. An iron collar around her neck.

She trembled, cried. Rett never seen any of the Ch'thon's loyal to even flinch a muscle, when their day was about to come. Ruthless, dangerous, and yet...

There the young woman was. Like wounded animal, her eyes... Pleading.

"Please... I don't want this..." her voice was tender.

She shuffled on the ground towards Rett.

"Please..." she cried softly. She moved right in front of Rett's gun. Her eyes full of sorrow.

Rett didn't remember much from that day. She didn't want to.

But there was one moment she couldn't forget. Never.

The moment she realized, that the crying woman didn't want to be spared.

The moment she realized, that she wanted the nightmare to end.

"Kill me... Please." Rett still remember that request.

She just stood there. Completely frozen, for what seemed like an eternity. And then she put her guns away.

She couldn't. She thought how ruthless, emotionless she is. How nothing will ever shake her. But this did. When she first met Xim, it did shook her.

Rett carried her out of the cellar, took off her collar an wrapped her into a blanket.

She remembered, when they were leaving the cultist's lair, both huddled on the horseback. Xim was holding onto her so tightly it hurt.

As the streaks of tears , she didn't cry for years, started to run down Rett's face she turned the horse towards the closest safe place she could think of – the village of Dimheaven.

That was almost three years ago.

* * *

Now, as both women went over the hill, they saw what remained of Dimheaven.

Charred remains of once bustling village were sticking from the ground in haunting pillars. Embers still glowing with pale green light. Some of the buildings remained standing, but just barely.

Between the burnt village ruins silhouettes shuffled. Bodies corrupted by aether, rotting, senseless, feeling only will to kill anything that didn't glow with the pale green.

"At least we know where the aetherials are." Xim whispered, concerned tone in her voice.

Rett didn't say anything. She moved forward behind the tree, readying her guns.

"Rett." – Xim whispered toward Rett. No reply.

"Rett!" – louder.

"What?!" Rett replied angrily. Then she caught the look on Xim's face and immediately felt a stung of guilt for her reply. Xim looked concerned. But not about aetherials.

"Careful, okay?" Xim said.

"You know me." Rett tried for a smile.

"Yeah, I do." Xim said grimly as she drew her sword.

They both moved a couple hundred feet forward.

"There were not even enough aetherials in the area, for this scale of destruction. Not with the defenses the place had set up." Rett grinded her teeth. "Something must've drawn them here."

"We'll see if we can find out." Xim whispered back. One hand on the sword, arcane tome in the other.

They approached from the side. Making sure the wind doesn't carry their scent into the village. Dimheaven was well fortified. Was. Now there were big gashes in the fortification. Rett and Xim decided not to split when scouting the area. There were quite a few aetherials still crawling through the village, but it looked like the main bulk of the attackers must've been much worse. And is probably now gone.

Xim silently pointed towards one of the destroyed walls. Holes from bullet impacts, corrupted by aether. Rett nodded. She new what that meant.

In the area of Dimheaven, the biggest issues with aetherials were the "corrupted" – reanimated corpses brought back to life by the power of aether. Dead animals, dead humans, trying to kill and raise back anything that was not corrupted. Here and there a gazer appeared in the area, reanimator if the luck was bad. But nothing of this scale. And above all – corrupted or reanimated were too primal, too animal-like to use a weapon. Definitely not a gun.

Yet here they were. Clear signs of the aetherial gunshots. Not only on the nearby wall, but everywhere around the village.

Rett frowned, eyes focused, full of concern. "Possessed?" Xim mouthed. Rett nodded.

Possessed were humans corrupted by consumption of aether and it's crystals, or by reckless use of aetherial magic. Not dead bodies brought back alive, but humans, who embraced the aether. It drew them mad. Violent. Senseless. Unstoppable. They were just as primal, wild and dangerous as the corrupted. But even worse. They were smart – using guns, weapons, magic, strategy. Anything to help them destroy all that didn't glow pale green.

Dimheaven could easily defend against random skirmishes with the corrupted. But focused attack lead by the possessed, was far beyond their defenses.

Both Rett and Xim knew that. They had many experiences fighting the corrupted. Possessed? Not so many. And all of them bad.

Xim and Rett scouted around the village carefully. Traces of the possessed lead to a nearby farmhouse on the hill. Not fresh, but not much older than a day. "We go for the village?" Rett turned to Xim in anticipation. Rett smelled blood. She was filled with anger. Good, or bad? She couldn't tell.

Xim nodded grimly. She didn't like this. She didn't like this at all. But she wanted the aetherials gone from the village too.

* * *

Just a few minutes of preparation later a shots rang through the air.

Rett climbed one of the destroyed walls. She grinded her teeth as the first corrupted corpses started to shuffle quickly to her. She recognized a few of them, from when they were alive – now nothing more then mindless husks. It only made her angrier.

She raised both of her hands again, each holding one of her enchanted revolvers.

Shots fired, left a white-blue trail of ice magic behind them. They tore up through the first arrivals of enemies, leaving their frozen carcasses on the ground.

The corrupted started to swarm towards her. Another round of icy shots rang and tore up the fresh arrivals.

"Blackwater!" Rett shouted and jumped down. That was the signal for Xim's spell. A magical flask filled with liquid fire flew over Rett's head and landed in the midst of the group of the corrupted. On fire, they started to fall to the ground, one by one. The more resilient ones – still alive – hurled towards the two women. They were met with another barrage of icy shots. Blue-white colors met with the glowing orange of the bodies on fire.

Rett and Xim started to move to the village's little square. From surrounding buildings more corrupted came to meet them. Two big reanimators appeared and with them about a dozen walkers. They were dealt with quickly, with fire and ice. Corrupted bodies on fire, form Xim's flasks of Blackwater Cocktail, tore with frost shards of Rett's Runes of Hagarrad. Xim's sword enchanted with Soael's Witchfire, Rett's revolvers with Chilling Rounds.

Spells and enchantments did their job, as they tore through the enemies with ease. Until...

A loud thud has shaken the ground. The building of what used to be tavern shook. Rett and Xim turned towards the source of the sound. Xim pulling out her sword from the slashed corpse on the ground.

THUD! The ground shook.

A massive hand tore through the tavern's wall. A mournful wail was to be heard.

"Hulk..." Xim exhaled.

"Fuck." Rett's eyes were livid and fiery.

They quickly moved behind the barricade of rubble. With horrifying crashing sound a flesh hulk crawled out of the building. Over eleven feet tall mass of muscle and flesh made deep wailing sounds. It's shape swollen beyond human measures, it's powerful arms threw big stones and log's around like nothing.

Then it screamed. It was a chilling sound full of anger and suffering.

"Blackwater, the Rune and a few shots?" Rett whispered suggestion.

"Will it be enough?" Xim replied, trying to hide her panic.

"We will see." Rett grinned. She jumped out of the hideout and yelled as loud as possible, trying to get hulk's attention. "NOW!"

Another fiery flask flew through the air. Xim didn't hit the hulk fully, but the flames definitely hurt it. Another angry wail. The flesh hulk started to lean forward. Both Xim and Rett knew what that meant. It was preparing to charge them. Rett quickly cast the icy rune on the ground.

With a terrifying dull howl the creature charged towards Rett. Icy spikes hit it as it was closing in. She dodged the incoming mass of muscle and unloaded her guns to the creature's side.

Unable to stop, the flesh hulk hit a big pile of rubble. Rett exhaled. It was enough. She turned towards Xim. As suddenly as it felt to the ground, the hulk raised from the rubble swinging it's huge hand down on Rett. Her eyes grew wide. Just a couple of feet from hitting her, the hulk suddenly stopped. A runes of bright red started to glow underneath it. Hulk's body started to spasm in pain. Sigil of Consumption, Rett thought to herself. Then she realized, that she really should stop just staring. She pointed both barrels towards the creature's head. Bang.

The creature finally fell, red runes still searing underneath it.

Both women were exhaling sharply. "It was not enough." Xim said in calm, motherly voice. Rett felt a sting of guilt.

"Yea, I'm... Sorry. You had to cast that..." Rett muttered.

"You know well I don't mind casting spells of the void." Xim was dead serious. It was worse than shouting.

"But I shouldn't force you to..." Rett said quietly.

"That's not what this is about." Xim's tone was cold, contrasting with the tender color of her voice. Xim turned away and started to scan the area for any surviving enemies. Then she said – loud enough that Rett could hear her – "If you want to get killed, do it for something less stupid than just recklessness."

Rett felt guilty. And angry, because of the guilt.


	4. Chapter II – No One Left

**Chapter II – No One Left**

They checked their equipment and started to scout through surrounding buildings. A few moving corpses here and there, but nothing too hard to deal with. Finding those, they knew, was harder. They both kept their distance from them.

Rett suddenly stopped. Her eyes finally on the tavern, the hulk crawled out of. Ruined building, that brought back memories. She was still angry on herself. But when she saw the tavern's ruin, she knew she didn't want to keep things like this any minute more.

She walked towards slowly approaching Xim. She stood in front of her. Xim looked up to her with frowning face.

"I'm sorry." Rett said. She meant it. She was truly, truly sorry.

"I just..." Xim started the sentence putting her grey hood down. Her tone was frustrated... Then she saw Rett's expression. Expression of honest regret. She looked deep into Rett's blue eyes.

"Just... Be careful, okay?" she said in the end.

Rett hugged her. "I'm really sorry." Rett breathed out.

It felt so honest, it caught Xim by surprise. And then she saw the ruined building over Rett's shoulder.

The tavern.

* * *

Dimlight's tavern. Rett first slept there when she was following the Ch'thonian cult hiding in the region. It was a nice enough place, but she didn't pay much attention to it.

Then she returned. In heavy snowfall, with Xim curled up on her saddle – both wounded, tired, shaken. She told the innkeeper, that they are going to stay for a while. Dimheaven was well fortified and with the Ch'thonian threat gone, it was one of the safest places in the region.

Rett paid the innkeeper most of her savings for the long stay and ordered two tubs with hot water.

Almost mindlessly, she started throwing her gear to the ground, hands heavy and tired. It wasn't until she was in her undergarments, when she noticed Xim, still standing in the corner. She didn't move a bit the whole time – staring on the ground, motionless.

"You... Do you..." Rett didn't know what to say. Killing, hunting – that was her way of helping people. But faced with this strange woman she was speechless. "Do... Do you want me to help you?" She finally managed to ask, trying to be as calm and composed as possible. Xim didn't respond. Clutching her arm, she was unable to move.

Rett breathed, focused. "I'm not gonna touch you anymore, or look at you if you don't want. Just..."

She continued quietly "I can help you, if you want."

Killing was easy, compared to this.

Xim nodded gently.

"Is it okay with you?" Rett made sure.

Xim exhaled and said the first word since they left the dungeons. "Yes." She reached out her hand and grabbed Rett tightly, like she did before, on the horse.

It took couple hours to bathe Xim. Carefully, Mindfully.

It took them days to start properly talking.

It took weeks for Xim's night terrors to be manageable.

It took months for their relationship to grow into romantic affection.

And to this day – almost 3 years later – they were recovering.

During that first night together, back in Dimheaven, one more notable thing happened. They learned each other's names. Chlorette, called Rett. Maximilia, called Xim.

* * *

Standing here again now – ather the years – felt surreal. The tavern was their safeplace once. That's where they started to find their way to each other. They both knew, it will be gone someday, but to see it in rubble now, it felt like a sting to the heart.

There were some good people in Dimheaven. Innkeeper, who protected them, when some folks complained about former cult member in their midst. Blacksmith, who gave Xim some spare equipment for free. Head of the big farm. His wife. Shoemaker. Names coming up in a list of those, they felt grateful towards. It was not a short list. And now, they were all gone. What Xim and Rett feared when approaching the settlement became true – Dimheaven was heaven to no one no more.

With their guns and weapons readied, they explored the rest of the village. Dead bodies, burned buildings, destruction. Evidence of the possessed – aetherial spells, weapon and gun marks all over the place.

They scouted for tracks. Easy task. The possessed marched towards the big farmhouse and surrounding buildings on the hill. From the looks of it, the buildings weren't spared of any of the destruction. Smoke still rose from the ruins.

Once again checking the equipment, wounds and bruises, they started to head out towards the farm hill. Their horse was still patiently waiting in the nearby forest. They made sure that he was safe, and continued uphill. Carefully, Rett and Xim circled the ruins.

No signs of survivors, only dead farmhands and helpers. Murdered. Aetherial wounds.

Rett and Xim crossed the destroyed wall that surrounded the farm. It was tore up by a huge blast of aetherial energy. Torn limbs and corpses everywhere.

The ruins were quiet. Only breeze hummed around. Weapons at ready, both Rett and Xim felt their palms sweating. The main farm building was partially burned down, but most of it still stood – like haunting carcass. Signs of struggle and fighting all over.

Broken front door left a dark hole leading inside the main building. Sun was now below the horizon and darkness started to seep behind all the nooks and crannies of the ruins.

As they carefully crossed the porch and entered the front door, the wooden floors creaked, spreading haunting echo through the inside. Rett focused some magical energy through her illuminating amulet, that worked like a lit lantern. Both Xim and Rett went room by room, covering each other's back. Only dead bodies here and there remained. Men, women – all murdered.

In the main common room they found the farmer – Grenz, was his name? And his wife. Both bodies carried signs of violence and torture. Aether and steel. Xim covered their remnants with a cloth she found nearby.

It looked like this farm belonged only to dead now. No signs of life. Rett and Xim explored what remained of the upper floor. Nobody home – alive, anyway.

They were almost ready to leave, when a loud noise tore through the silence.

With a quiet click, Rett cocked her guns. Xim motioned towards the room on the other side of the upper floor of the building. Rett nodded.

Carefully measuring each step, they slowly progressed toward the source of the sound.

Motion. Something shuffling.

Rett took a look inside the room. They already checked here before. The Rett's glowing amulet cast haunting shadowplay on the walls.

Part of the roof was collapsed. Just like before, there seemed to be nothing but rubble in most of this upstairs room. Then the rubble moved. A floor shifted under their feet. On the edge of the collapse of the roof, somebody was trapped. And with each movement of the trapped person the rubble shifted too, now threatening to collapse the floor underneath it. The roof's weight pressed on both the floor of the upstairs room and the person.

The amulet illuminated a pair of frightened eyes. Both Rett and Xim stood there, completely frozen. The person trapped under the rubble let out the sound of pain.

It was a young woman. She must've moved since they last checked here.

She spoke. Her voice quiet and full of pain. "Help..."

Both Rett and Xim made a step forward. The floor creaked heavily and the rubble shifted some more. The trapped woman cried out in pain. She was caked in blood.

The rubble clearly hurt her badly. She was barely alive.

"If we move towards her, it might crush her." Rett said quietly.

Xim laid down some of her equipment. "Give me more light, I'll try to spread my weight." she instructed Rett with noteable panic in her voice. Rett nodded, concerned and focused. Xim laid down, the floor creaking and moving. The trapped woman was breathing heavily, clearly in pain.

Xim, now on the floor, shifted carefully, trying not to move the unstable room. She was about fifteen feet away from the young woman. "Hi." she tried to smile at her. "We'll try to get you out of there." she said, trying to sound convincing. But she knew any movement might kill the woman.

"Please... I can't feel my legs." the woman cried softly.

Xim tried to distract her, keep her mind off the crushing pain "My name is Maximilia." she moved a couple of inches.

"I'm Catherine... Grenz." woman breathed out, her voice wheezing.

"Hello Catherine. Nice to meet you. That is Rett." Xim continued her slow crawling movement forward. Rett was fully focused on the Xim on the ground. If this floor collapses, she'll need to catch her and pull her back to safety. Rett's arm was extended ready to grab Xim's leg.

Creeeak. The floor moved. Xim stopped.

Catherine started to whisper. Each breath accompanied by painful wheezing of her collapsed lungs. "They came last night. Burnt the village. Then came for us."

Xim laid on the floor, completely frozen. She could almost feel like any bigger movement would collapse the floor under her. She looked at Catherine's face.

Catherine continued, in huge pain, but determined. Almost like she had to tell them what happened.

"Possessed. Everywhere. Man called Gaufridson led them." Catherine's lips were shaking, her face covered in blood, her once blonde hair full of grey dust. "He dragged all the girls away, my sisters too. They hid, but he found them. Almost found me too."

It was just a few feet left for Xim to reach her. Xim stretched even more, desperate. Every single smallest move meant creaking and cracking of the floor.

Catherine's eyes were now looking directly to Xim's. Xim saw in her eyes, that Catherine knew. She knew, she isn't getting out of this. With Catherine's last breath, her voice grew stronger. Composed, even. Ready to leave. "Find Gaufridson. He's the one responsible."

CRASH!

Deafening noise. The upper floor finally gave in to the collapsed roof. Xim launched towards Catherine as the floor underneath her cracked and slid down. Rett grabbed onto her legs, pulling her back towards the door of the room. Xim managed to grab Catherine's hands and both of them now hanged from the remains of the upper floor, swinging in the air, held by Rett.

Catherine's expression was numb, absent. Xim's eyes widened with horror. The falling rubble tore off both Catherine's legs and pelvis. Only a half of her body now hanged on Xim, in deathly grip.

Rett pulled Xim up as the rest of Catherine's body finally let go and fell down.

Xim was shaking.

"Look at me, look at me!" Rett grabbed her. "We did what we could..."

"Why, why, why...?" Xim mumbled. "Why won't it just end?!" she shook in Rett's arms. Rett hugged her tightly. They sat down in the doorframe of the room, still hugging. Xim let out a horrid scream, tears starting to run down her face. Pain, anger, horror. Rett held her in her arms. Tightly.

Why won't it just end? Rett asked this very question as long as she could remember. Especially since her father died. Most of the time, she wanted all of this to end.

* * *

Three years ago, when they left Dimheaven together after weeks of recovering, both Rett and Xim knew more about each other.

Xim knew of Rett's father dying, her history with Luminari, how she fell in love with Rhowari girl, who then disappeared. She knew what Rett's livelihood was now.

With Xim, things were also complicated. Her father was a tailor, mother apothecary. In one ugly aetherial attack she was separated from her parents. With a group of refugees they walked for several days until they reached the first civilization – seemingly calm, peaceful and well defended village.

Most decided to move on, but some stayed. Among them Xim. She started to work for the local doctor. His family saved her. At least that's what she thought.

Behind the safety, security and kindness were lies and deception. Xim fell into the hands of the cult of Ch'thon. Reckless users of magic of blood and void, worshiping the dying god.

Her service got harder every day. Every day they shared secrets she didn't want to know. Locked her underground, where their sanctuaries were. Raised her as an apprentice of Ch'thon.

The magic of chaos and void gave her nightmares. They forced it through her body. She had nowhere to run, manipulated, imprisoned, afraid. And as the months passed she got used to it more and more.

She started to feel numb, as if the only emotion she could feel was the agony of void flowing through her. She felt slipping.

Then Rett came. Xim never told her this, but if just a few more weeks would have passed, she might have been beyond help – like the rest.

She spent almost nine moths under the Ch'thon.

When she was free, they decided to stick with Rett. It was almost like an unspoken agreement.

Rett warned her about livelihood of hunting aetherials, cultists, undead and beasts. That Rett's life was full of violence, ugliness, and pain.

Xim wanted to stay with Rett. She wanted to try to find her parents and she needed help.

Xim wanted to stay with Rett, when they found out, that Xim's parents were dead.

Xim wanted to stay with Rett, because she wanted help fight the darkness of this world.

And Rett wanted her to stay, because their lives were filled with pain and horrors, but now they weren't living them alone. They had somebody to hug, when the nights were dark. Somebody to share with, when the days were ugly. Somebody to ease the pain.

* * *

After they finally left the ruins of Dimheaven farmhouse, they returned to their horse. He was patiently waiting, excited to see them. After seeing so many death that day it was a welcome change.

They were both still shook from Catherine's exceptionally gruesome passing. It was one thing to exterminate the corrupted – put them out of their misery. But such anguish, to see the pain so close, almost being able to reach her, that hit them badly.

But it was time to move on.

"Rett, are we going to..." Xim started.

"Hunt down the bastard responsible for this?" Rett interrupted her with serious face.

"Yes." Xim answered, with grim expression.

"You can bet." Rett suddenly got much more comfortable. Getting revenge, saving people, that was their thing. Trauma and pain had to wait in the back of their minds. Just where Rett liked them.


	5. Chapter III – Real Devastation

**Chapter III – Real Devastation**

Rett and Xim left the travois behind. The mending tonics fully kicked in, and there was no time to spare for a rest.

Both women on the horse rushed northward, where tracks lead.

It was not hard to follow the path of destruction and aether fire. They had to stop a few times to make sure they're heading in the right direction, but nothing beyond Rett's tracking skills.

In the end, the night got so dark they couldn't continue. They both hid, off the road, huddled together. First, Rett thought about taking turns and staying on guard, but the exhaustion of the day hit them so hard, that they both fell asleep almost instantly.

After a quick breakfast of dry crackers and dried apples, they took of again in a brisk pace.

First day of travel, there was little of note happening.

Second day, on the other hand, was to be eventful.

Around noon, they finally spotted the caravan of the possessed. One of it's riders was left behind as a guard. Thankfully, not very good guard.

Xim and Rett decided to try to shortcut the way to the village, where the caravan was heading, and surprise them there.

Carefully, they navigated the horse along tree lines and behind hills, so none of the possessed scouts and guards could see them. Rett snuck up on one of the hills to take a look at the size of the caravan, leaving nervous Xim (and their horse) in a nearby group of trees by a ruined corn field.

The caravan was sizeable. More than thirty men and women – in various states of possession. Some no different from humans, some growing green crystals on their backs. They had a few horses and one wagon – no doubt occupied by the kidnapped girls from the farm.

Rett examined their equipment as closely as she could. Rifles, guns, swords, shields, the whole thing... This was no random group of bandids, this was an organized effort. One of the caravan guards closed in. Thankfully, he did not see Rett. But it was time to get the hell out.

Xim and Rett circled the group, and rushed towards the nearest village – Frightbor.

Frightbor was a small village – smaller than Dimheaven. Just a couple of homesteads, taking advantage of the position on a steep hill, making it an easy place to defend. Against restless group of possessed, this advantage was rather small.

Only because their group was so big, possessed moved much more slowly than Rett and Xim.

It was closing to mid afternoon, sun still high in the cloudy sky. Fall breeze giving Rett and Xim chills as they hurried on the winding dirt road. Now it was a rush to the Frightbor. A night assault was to be expected at this rate and they both wanted to warn anyone willing to listen.

The shadows were getting longer in the late afternoon as they arrived near the village, first defenses in sight.

"May you state your business here?!" a deep male voice rang from behind one of the barricades.

"I'm an Inquisitor!" Rett shouted back. Time was running out, there was little time for the niceties.

A head popped out into their vision – head one of the guarding men, with what used to be black hair, now turning gray.

"Are you really?" he spoke again.

"We came to warn you!" Xim jumped into the conversation. "You have a big group of possessed on their way here. Just a couple hours away." By this rate, literally – a couple – she thought to herself.

The guards finally came to sight. Two older men. Too old to be hard working on the field, or in the forest, but still able to hold some sort of guard.

"Do you have anything that can prove you're an Inquisitor, miss?" One of them asked, slowly.

Rett held her sigh and jumped down the horse. She showed them the badge of Luminari's Order and the guns she carried.

From that moment on the conversation went down much smoother.

"We'll send down one of ours to watch for the possessed – and we alert the reeve. More than thirty you said?" one of the guardsman said, as the other ran to the village. "How... Did you encountered them on the road?"

"We overtook them on a road from Dimheaven. The village is gone." Rett replied.

"Gone?" guardsman face grew pale. "Like..."

"Burnt to the ground." Rett confirmed

"Empyrion in the heavens..." guardsman just muttered, shaking his head.

It took them almost another hour talking with reeve, gathering and convincing all able-bodied men and women it the village. The alarm bell was rung, and preparations were made.

Rett didn't like to use the badge of Luminari's Order. She didn't even belong to them anymore.  
But when she needed common folk to listen, the Order still carried some weight.

Both Rett and Xim readied themselves for a fight. Xim's magic of chaos earned her some sideway glances, but since she was with the Inquisitor, only confused and wondering whispers happened.

She didn't mind. She knew she used fire to fight the fire. She of all knew best, how dangerous the magic of the void could be.

* * *

"I think I got him." Rett muttered. Barely moving she pointed her finger down the valley where a river was flowing. She and Xim laid hiding on a roof of one of the barns.

Xim squinted her exes – it was late afternoon. There was indeed some movement down by the river.

"Is it..." Xim started her question but there was no need to continue. It was definitely a figure. It made a mistake and poked it's head from the bushes by the trees.

Both women froze. Movement on the roof could tip the figure off. They wanted to make everything seem normal.

The head finally disappeared and Rett leaned down from the roof.

"We got a scout. Now nice and quiet, just like we talked about." she said. The guardsman with the graying hair nodded. He walked casually through the village to quietly inform the others.

Rett and Xim vanished from the roof. They were standing out among the villagers, so they decided to hide for now.

A quick conversation with the reeve and then just waiting. Their hideout was in one of the houses near the village entrance. Rett snuck out several more times to look for the signs of the possessed.

It seemed like the possessed were waiting behind the hill on the opposing side of the valley, waiting for the nightfall.

There were buckets of water prepared all around, for putting out the fire. The water in the nearest one to Xim reflected a lanterns lit in the centre of the village. Xim waited by the window looking out at Rett, who was laying motionless on the roof of one of the barns.

The wait was nerve-wracking. Stars were fully now lit in the sky, sun set.  
Almost nobody in the village was sleeping, many doors and windows shut, lights dimmed not to be seen.

Rett swiftly slipped down from the roof. Under the cover of a little to no light she walked towards one of the big lanterns in the centre of the village. And she put out the fire inside.

That was the signal. They're approaching.

Subtle movements and shuffles were heard form the houses.

Xim quickly slipped out of her hideout and joined Rett. In the dim light of the few remaining lanterns she noticed her expression. Focused, determined. It was a contrast to Xim's worries and uncomfortable butterflies in stomach.

As silently as possible they headed for the edge of the village on the hillside and started to climb up. Some men were waiting for them in the trees and bushes above the road, that entered the village. On the horizon a few torches lit a grim procession, that started to approach. Several horses, a wagon and around thirty silhouettes. They were on their way.

* * *

Before Xim and Rett arrived to their position, where the men were, Rett suddenly stopped.  
"What?!" Xim whispered, panic in her voice. Rett turned to her, with serious face. And then kissed her. Shortly, but with tenderness and passion.

They exchanged concerned look. "Good luck to us." Rett smiled and they continued their way.

The men were already nervously waiting. "I knew you said thirty, but damn does it seem like more, doesn't it?" one of the men tried to whisper towards Rett. She put a finger to her lips to silence him. She pointed to her eyes and motioned towards the approaching group. Don't take your eyes of them.

The group finally arrived to the barricade, just like Rett and Xim few hours ago. The possessed left most of the horses with the wagon further down in the valley and walked uphill with only one. On the horse was sitting their leader. This could be nobody else than Gaufridson. On his belt an aetherial scepter made of metallic thorns. Cruel and twisted weapon. His eyes behind the oculars glowed with pale green light.

The guardsman behind the barricade mustered all strength: "What do you want?!" he raised his voice. Rett was praying he would keep his head cool.

"I'd like to hire some workforce." they first heard Gaufridson's voice. It was soft, and terrifying. Like it was ready to explode any second.

"We... We don't... Hire..." The guardsman was clearly thrown off by the Gaufridson's strangely specific request.

"Well, then I have no choice, do I?" Gaufridson laughed, letting out little wheeze with every breath. His followers chuckled with him, grabbing onto their weapons.

Gaufridson got off his horse. The chuckles stopped. "My good man, I bring an offer of peace. Prosperity. No more fear or death." he spoke softly, filled with conviction. "There is no need to fear aether." He was closing in on the guardsmen. "I'm simply looking for those willing to embrace it."

Rett raised her hand – she wouldn't have more of that nonsense. Xim turned to her, surprised. Too quick. Too rash. The thoughts only ran through her head. She opened her mouth and...

"NOW!" focused fully on the possessed, not paying any attention to Xim's carefulness, Rett started the attack.  
From bushes and trees uphill, above the group of possessed, a several piles of logs were released. They tumbled downhill and tore through the group of the aeterials.

The villagers charged with the attack, running downhill, coming from the uphill forest and the village. Spears, bows and arrows, axes, scythes in hands.

Rett jumped behind one of the tree tree stumps that gave her a good visual on the battlefield on the road. She started unloading her weapons into the group of the possessed. White and blue shots shattered with Amarasta's Blade Burst spell, hitting the possessed, who were falling to the ground.

"Blackwater!" Xim warned attacking villagers as she hurled the flask of magical fire on one of the possessed.

When both groups finally hit, a mayhem started. A huge burst of aetherial fire came crashing from the front of the possessed group. Gaufridson launched several spells, burning anything not corrupted by aether.

Both Rett and Xim moved forward towards him. Some of the aetherials had guns and were sending shots towards the hill. One of them hit Rett, but it was nothing her enchanted coat couldn't handle. From Gaufridson's hands aetherial fire burst, that set some of the villagers ablaze. They were screaming in pain.

Rett double-timmed, Xim barely keeping up behind her. They had to down him. Quick.  
Rett launched behind one of the piles of logs and started emptying her guns into the Gaufridson. When the first freezing shots hit him, he turned towards her, eyes filled with fury.

Rett was almost deafened by the sound of the wooden logs exploding in huge green explosion. The flames licked the side of her body. She was burned, but still on her feet. She turned to him and through the flames saw the Gaufridson's figure approaching.

"Stop moving, you dumb cunt!" she could hear his voice through the ringing in her ears. And then...

He was much closer than she anticipated. She raised her guns. Bang! Gaufridson fell to his knee in a painful jerk as the shots hit him. He raised his hand to cast a spell. Oh fuck, Rett only thought.

The air in front of the Gaufridson sizzled with red light and Xim suddenly appeared right in front of him with Chaos Strike spell, burying her sword into him. He managed to stop it with one of his arms, but he was struggling to keep his balance, bleeding black gushes of blood all over.

"Well, hello!" he sneered and returned the strike. The scepter – lit in aetherial fire – hit Xim like a battering ram. She lost balance and Gaufridson jumped on her.

Rett, on the other had, has regained her balance and readied herself to shoot again. Xim and Gaufridson were rolling on the ground trying to stop each other from casting any spells or hitting each other with a weapon.

Rett hesitated for a split second – she didn't want to shoot Xim. Then she saw a window. But Gaufridson saw it to. When she pressed the triggers she could see the ice-enchanted shots leaving the barrels. Then a big aetherial fireball came into her vision. The blue shots passed through the aetherial fire and it hit Rett directly into her torso, launching her backward.

Thud! She hit the ground hard, losing consciousness for a few seconds. When she regained it, her ears were ringing, her vision was blurred, her head was spinning and her skin stinging her with pain. She didn't notice that in the moment, but her neck was burned quite badly.  
Rett stumbled back on her feet, clutching her guns.

The few seconds passed moved skirmish downward on the road, with possessed retreating. Rett got caught in the panic furiously looking for Xim and Gaufridson.

And then she saw her... Gaufridson dragged her down the road – she was hurt badly, still moving but struggling. One of Gaufridson's henchman was helping him to hold her.  
They were almost down by the rest of the possessed group.

It was like time has slowed down for Rett. Blood pounding in her head she started to run. With a scream she ran past a group in a skirmish.

Gaufridson sneered at her, as she was approaching. They were by the horses. They were getting on one.

"Stop and fight you piece of shit!" she heard herself screaming in a haze of rage.

Gaufridson put now almost unconscious Xim on the horse's back. He turned to Rett.  
Spell he cast sent spreading wave of aetherial fire towards her. She braced for an impact. It hit her hard, but she held her ground. She started sending one shot after the other his way.

Gaufridson charged towards her, his scepter painting green traces of aetherial fire in the air.

Rett dodged his wide swing, casting Rune of Hagraad right under his feet. Spell of freezing thorns, threw him of balance. He sidestepped and took another swing at her. She dodged again and started shooting. "Die. Die! Die!" she heard herself screaming. And then he took a third swing.

It came from the bottom, aiming straight for her face. She knew she was too close, she closed her eyes and prepared for impact. She could feel the strange heat of aetherial fire, the gush of air and...

He missed. The scepter swung right under her hat, which was licked by the flames. She cocked the gun, both barrels aiming straight at his face.

Crack. Something hit her from behind, sending Rett falling on her face. She felt strong, blunt pain at the top of her back as she fell to the ground, descending into darkness.


	6. Chapter IV – Dark Place

**Chapter IV – Dark Place**

Sickness woke up Xim. She felt like she's going to throw up any second now. She opened her eyes, only to be met with darkness, flavored with a little of pale green light. Desperately trying to get a hold of where she is, she bolted her hands around her.

Metallic bars. She tried to stretch her legs. She couldn't. She was in a metallic cage. Shaped like cylinder, about four feet in diameter, about five feet high.

Xim threw up. Down bellow her, endless darkness. She tried to take in her surrounding. The cage was hanging on a chain, in something that resembled a well – stone walls from all sides, darkness down below. Xim spat the acidic flavor out of her mouth and looked upwards. There was a little bit of light. Lantern light – not natural.

She was not as freezing as she suspected she would be. Most of her armor and robes were gone, she was only in her undergarments and in a torn blanket. Yet the air was quite warm.  
Xim realized she was probably deep underground. Deep enough, that the air was not cold.

She rested her head on the side of the cage, when she finally saw what emitted the dim green glow. Outside of the cage was encrusted with tiny crystals of aether. Almost like a crust of salt, except of aether.

No wonder she felt nauseous – it was a first sign of aether poisoning.

Xim poked her hands out of the cage, trying to tear the layer of aether down from the cage. Lesser amount of aether meant less poison.  
It was much harder than it seemed. The aether was grown into the rusted cage so hard, that she hurt her hands, when tearing it down. To tear down at least some reasonable amount of aether meant hours of painful work.

Xim had both the time and the patience.

* * *

Pain has woken Rett up. She had a splitting headache, her arms and legs were sluggish and heavy. Some of the villagers were helping her to sit down.

The village was defended, possessed were on the run. When they were running they managed to take almost all kidnapped girls from the wagon. And Xim too. They jumped on horses and disappeared, leaving the wagon behind.

"Two men are trying to track them right now." the graying guardsman said encouragingly, when Rett was getting up on her feet. A blunderbuss shot of one of the possessed hit Rett in the back. She was knocked out for about half an hour. Enough time for aetherials, rushing on the horseback, to be several miles away.

She was furious. She insisted on getting on a horse and going after Gaufridson.

"Are you sure, that's the best idea?" the guardsman asked her. He held a piece of cloth on his bleeding arm.

Rett turned to him, anger in her eyes "She has Xim, and the other girls. I'm gonna end the motherfucker and save them!"

"You are hurt. Wouldn't be better to rest and..." guardsman continued.

Rett gave him a dark look. "No." she grinded her teeth.

"Even if I told you we know where they are going?"

* * *

Just a few minutes later Rett was sitting on the porch of one of the houses. People were treating their wounds, gathering their dead, mourning. Cries of loss were to be heard, hugs of relief were to be seen.  
Next to Rett, a couple of empty vials was standing. The warm bittersweetness of mending tonics was flowing though Rett. Her blue strand of hair soaked with blood.

The guardsman was sitting on the porch with her, explaining the situation to Rett:

"Since they were heading east, there are very few places they could go. There are some nasty cliffs on that mountainside. There is no reason to head that way, unless you are going for the cliffs. There is an old coal mine in them, about thirty miles from here. It used to be operational when I was a little boy, but it isn't anymore. For last four decades. Only the eldest settlers here remember it being open. My father worked there, so that's why I know."

"What happened to the mine?" Rett asked, cleaning her wounds with the water from a nearby wooden bucket.

Guardsman chuckled. "Nothing. There was just too little coal left to be profitable. So it was closed." He checked his wound. "I'm going to have an ugly scar from that." he sighed.

"Please, continue." Rett said firmly.

"Yes, yes, sorry. Well, if they are hiding in the mine, they probably use the main entrance. Big door, that connect to the mountain path." guardsman leaned in, smiling. "But my old man told me about another way in. They dug it as a shortcut and as a second exit in a case of disaster. It is down the cliffside, there are wild bushes all over the place. Unless they found it from the inside, there is a good chance they haven't noticed it from the outside."

Rett asked the guardsman a few more questions about the area. She double-checked her equipment, remaining tonics and potions. Her whole body was aching, but all bleeding has stopped. It was time to go.

"Best of luck, Inquisitor. And look out for the boys that followed them. We wanted to make sure we know where they are heading."

Rett nodded as she headed out of the door.

"Inquisitor?" the guardsman said when she was out the door. She turned. "I'm glad you stayed and listened to me." he said.

"Thanks." Rett replied and disappeared into the night.

* * *

A jarring movement has woken Xim up. She fell asleep tearing the aether crystals down form the outside of the cage. Now the cage was slowly moving upwards, the crank above it making loud metallic screeches.  
Xim braced. She knew this too well – her breath was shallow and quick as the familiar panicked feeling entered her body – the feeling of being trapped, at someone else's mercy.

Xim focused on her breaths, trying to just keep breathing. Keep herself ready to observe, fight, flee. Ready to do anything.

When she finally ascended the well she was kept in, a bright light of lanterns and torches blinded her. A group of four possessed dragged her out of the cage. She didn't struggle – there was no need to make them angry, she didn't know where she was at and four to one weren't good odds.  
They led her out of the room with a bag on her head.

Two things went through Xim's head. First – hope that this isn't an execution walk, and second – focus to take in as much of the surrounding as possible.

Her feet felt wooden planks and dirt underneath them. Echo through the halls and corridors didn't seem like a dungeon-type underground.  
Xim was suspecting this must be some sort of a dig, or a mine. She was correct.

They walked her to a sort of a room, sat her down. Xim was half-expecting beating, or other form of pain to come in any second, but it didn't. Instead she felt as her hands and legs were fastened to her seat by a rope. An unnaturally strong arms held her down. She didn't make it any easier for them.

Xim heard people leaving the room. Then the bag was finally removed form her head.

She was fastened to an iron chair in an underground room lit by many lanterns. There were crates, trunks and various items all over the place. Medical equipment, aether crystals, all sorts of liquids and tonics in many vials. There was also a table in a corner of the room.

Gaufridson was proudly standing next to it. An open book in his hand. He closed it and put it on the table. His grin sent shivers down Xim's spine. There was just her and him in the room.

"Hi, my dear." he approached a stand with various metallic cylinders, syringes and vials. "How about we start with a nice introduction. My name is Mauricius Gaufridson." he turned his head to Xim. "What is your name, dear?"

All the gears in Xim's head were spinning at full speed. She decided to try his reaction – she didn't reply at all.

Gaufridson took a metallic syringe form a leather case. He filled it with a green liquid and then approached her. "Trying to fight me will only get you hurt." he tried to stroke her hair. Xim moved her head away from his approaching hand. He grabbed her by the hair, harshly. "I'm going to work with you on something glorious." his glowing eyes were studying Xim's face. "If you'll be a good girl and tell me what is your name, I promise I will inject this syringe somewhere less painful than I had in mind."

Xim felt disgusted by his every word, touch, breath. "Xim" she grinded out.

"Well... Xim. Thank you." his voice was soft and it crept through Xim. "Now let's work on that beautiful neck of yours, shall we?" Gaufridson stepped behind Xim, reading his syringe. "I'd recommend you not to move."

* * *

A man rushed to the side of the road and waved his hand furiously. Rett stopped her horse. Thankful, he rested hidden in the barn and was ready to go almost immediately after the attack on the village.

The man waving on Rett was one of the villagers. He jumped from the bushes on the side of the road.

"Inquisitor, here." he waved Rett towards him. She stopped next to him.

"Inquisitor, you okay? You took quite the beating..." he started, but Rett silenced him quickly.  
"I'm fine – you managed to follow the possessed?" she asked sharply.

"Yes. Half a mile from here is a crossroad. They headed northeast – towards the mountains. There were many tracks on that road. It seems like more people than them went there and back quite recently."

"Towards the mine?" Rett asked.

"I've hear of a some old mine in the area, but if that's where they are going I don't know." the man shrugged his arms.

"I'll take it from here. Return to village. If I don't return till next sunset, I've failed – prepare for more attacks." Rett frowned.

"Okay." the man sighed. "Good luck out there, Inquisitor."

Rett followed the road to the crossroad where she turned northeast. There were so many tracks, that even despite being after midnight, it was not hard to follow the possessed. It seemed like they were using this hideout for a while. It was far enough from any civilization to be noticed at least for some time.

Rett guessed that the possessed started their raiding spree more south and then "returned" to their neck of woods.

The terrain was more and more rocky. High rocks and cliffs started to appear as the forest grew thinner.

In about an hour Rett hid the horse under one of the cliffside overhangs. His patient eyes gave her confidence. Once again she checked her equipment and guns and headed out. She left the road and crawled deeper into the mountains using sidepaths and remains of the woods. Like a shadow, she crept underneath the star-lit skies.

More time has passed and she finally encountered first guards of the possessed. She snuck behind one of them and cut his throat with a knife. Other one turned sharply, when he heard a body hitting the ground. Rett jumped on him, casting the ice spikes of Rune of Hagarrad. Glowing crack in the air was louder than she had hoped. But both guards were downed and no alarm was raised. She hid the bodies and moved forward, searching for the hidden entrance.

In the dark it was tedious – crawling silently through the bushes. She even saw lanterns and lights of the guardsman, at the front door of the mine. Or at least, that's what she assumed the big wooden gate was.

Rett almost twisted her ankle, when she stepped inside something that looked like shallow hole in the ground. No, it was a step. And another one. Leading to the thick bush among the trees on the cliffside. And there they were, hidden behind the thick vegetation – the hidden door.

They were just big enough for one person, chained by a big rusted lock. Thankfully, the wood was so old and rotten it was easy to open them with force. Once again Rett prayed, that nobody had heard her. She pulled out one of her amulets and channeled a little bit of magical energy through it. It started glowing, illuminating damp, dark corridor behind the door. The air was dank and musty. Rett took a heavy breath and stepped inside.

* * *

Xim was throwing up violently into a bucket between her legs. "There, there." Gaufridson stroke her back gently. Creepy piece of shit, Xim thought to herself. By this point there was nothing left in her stomach to throw up, so she just spat acids.

"You are taking this, remarkably well. I'm so excited to have you here. With me." Gaufridson stroke her on her head.

"What are you doing to me?" Xim growled as an acidic saliva was dripping from her bottom lip.

"I am creating something beautiful, Xim." Gaufridson smiled. "I've accepted aether – all of us here did." he now crouched, his face just inches from Xim's. "But I'm still looking for somebody to accept it perfectly – like I did."

He continued, clearly excited. "You see, most of those who accepted aether grow submissive to other aether creations. And I'm looking for someone who won't. Someone who will – like me – be a leader, not a follower. Somebody strong willed – like me. And you seem to be a perfect candidate..."

He was clearly mad. Xim has never heard of "perfect" aetherials. Possessed tend to group up like any bandit scum. She never thought that there could be something more at play. And honestly, she didn't care.

"And if my body accepts aether, what then?" Xim looked through the strands of hair hanging in front of her face.

Gaufridson grinned "Then we will be two perfect aetherials. And we'll have a perfect child." Shivers went down Xim's spine. So that was it? Create another aetherial, rape her and try to have an offspring?

"I won't make this easy for you, you fucked-up piece of shit." Xim heard herself saying.

"So determined. I love it. See? This is exactly why I got rid of the other girls we brought in with you. They started squirming and begging, as soon as I told them what's gonna happen to them. Now they are feeder to rats." Gaufridson chuckled. "So please, keep fighting me Xim. I'll enjoy it all much more."

"Eat shit and die." Xim spat towards him.

"Well, it seems like it's time for another dose." Gaufridson's smile widened.

* * *

Rett rushed forward, trying to keep a sense of a direction. When she emerged from darkened halls she stumbled into a torch lit cavern. It was very big – big enough to fit a large house in. She readied her guns. In the middle of the cavern was a lift to the depths of the mine. It was up. Good.

Rett decided to waste no time and positioned herself behind one of the possessed guards in her way. Her knife worked her magic and she dragged possessed woman behind nearby crates. Ok, now the hard part. Rett ran forward – towards the lift controls – and jumped to cover. Nobody spotted her so she moved even closer. The guardsman standing at the lift controls was just a dozen feet away.

Rett jumped on him, casting her freezing spell. He managed to get a short yell out, before he fallen to the ground, torn to pieces. That must have brought some attention. Welp.  
No one will see me, if there's no one to see me, Rett thought to herself cocking her guns. Yells from the hallway were a good indicator of the enemies on their way.

Rett braced near the controls to the lift, ready to defend her position.

The possessed ran in curious, but not ready for a fight. Met with a barrage of enchanted gunshots, they were a little challenge to Rett. She moved to where they came from to clear rest of the floor.  
She found out there is only a space for loading coal on the trolleys on the train tracks and a several corridors and rooms. Most of the mine space must've been deep beneath the earth.

Rett made sure everyone is dead and opened the wooden gate form the inside. An escape route was ready.

She had only few scratches – but she still chugged down a tonic of mending, just to be sure. Once more a routine of equipment check and then she headed for the lift.

The large cabin was able to bring up and down large hauls of coal and groups of miners, it was big and surely loud. There was little to no chance arriving in a defensible position.

Well, there was one solution that came into Rett's mind.

* * *

A few minutes later the lift was nearing the bottom of the mine. There was only two stops for the lift – called "Top" and "Bottom". Underneath the Bottom station the mine continued further down, but the lift was newer dug deeper.

A group of possessed was readied, guns aiming at the arriving cabin.

When it arrived, the cabin was barraged with bolts shots and aetherial spells. It shook and rattled, but there was no movement inside.

A couple of possessed with aether enchanted shotguns went to investigate it. Just as they were closing in, entering the cabin door, Rett ran and jumped from the cabin's roof. For the entire time, she was laying there, hoping none of the possessed will be in a position to see her.

She was lucky. They were not.

She jumped over the couple entering the cabin, dropping the ice rune on them. As she was flying through the air, soon to land near the group her only thought was – This is going to hurt. Bad.

It did.

* * *

Xim was shivering as a trio of large possessed brought her back to the room with her cage. Thankfully Gaufridson decided that injections of aether were enough for today, taking sick pleasure in Xim's body fighting. Each tear, each grunt of pain – he studied Xim's expression with chilling glee.

Xim was tired beyond death, almost hanging on the possessed.

They neared towards the cage, opened it's doors.

"Wait." one of the possessed men grunted.

"What?" a possessed woman replied.

"Can you her that?"

In a distance there was a burst of noise. Shots?

It was like a gulp of tonic of mending for Xim. She didn't react, but in her mind she smiled. Rett is coming you, you bastards.

"Put her in the cage, I'ma take a look on what the fuck are they doing." said the man annoyed. He stormed out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Right after that moment Xim jumped on the second possessed man. He had daggers – dangerous at close distance.

Completely taken by surprise by sudden burst of aggression from Xim he didn't even manage to pull them out, before he stumbled back. Right into the well, where the cage was supposed to be suspended. Loud thuds and screams of his death could be heard from the darkness.  
The possessed woman grabbed Xim. They stumbled around in a desperate fight. Xim knocked in to the crank, that was holding the chain of the cage.

The cage plummeted down with loud rings and metallic noises. It stopped, went the chain was unwinded from the crank, now holding the cage down in the well.

Xim was desperately grabbing woman's arms trying to stop her from reaching for her gun. The woman pulled her backwards. And both of them, clutching each other stumbled and fell down the well, following the possessed man.

Mid-air, Xim kicked the possessed woman furiously. Xim hit the chain of the cage, seriously hurting her shoulder, while the woman hit the wall with her head.

As Xim was plummeting through the air, she put out her arms desperately trying to grab the chain.

* * *

Meanwhile a mayhem ensued in the corridors of the mine. Adrenaline was pumping through Rett's body as she chugged down several tonics of mending and was bleeding on several places.

Rett unloaded her weapons into anything that emitted aetherial glow. Her magic cracked through the air, bringing chaos to larger groups.

She knew this rush. It was a same feeling, like when she found Xim among the Ch'thonians, but now there was more. Now he was not only killing everything in sight, now she was desperately looking for Xim or the other kidnapped girls.

She was getting deeper and deeper. The possessed resistance thinned, with every room. She was getting close. She could feel it.

She ran into one of the larger caverns, immediately retreating. A large aether clusters were all around the room and from behind them, possessed charged towards her. Raining the ice runes on the ground she lured the possessed into the corridor, taking them out one by one.  
She advanced back to the room, following one last remaining possessed. Large bruiser with huge steel shield and claymore. "Come 'ere yu bich!" she heard his enraged shouting.

Very well, Rett spat out a little bit of blood trickling form her torn lip. The bruisers shield was met with a barrage of shots. He slowly advanced towards Rett. She moved to a convenient position and with her next shots, she carefully aimed her revolvers.

Bang! Her shots shattered on impact with the bruiser's shield, shattering into small sharp shards of Amarasta's Blade Burst spell. The spell cracked and shattered aether crystals surrounding the bruiser.

He roared, and charged – full speed – towards Rett. She rolled to the side, leaving an ice rune behind her. Crack! It's spikes hit he possessed. Furious and badly hurt he swung his claymore, just reaching Rett's face.

She felt the sharp sting of pain on her right cheek and felt the warm blood pouring out. She managed to dodge most of a hit, but it was about to leave a mark.

Out of balance she fell to her back, shooting the possessed right into his angered face. It shattered, covering Rett in gore as the bruiser's body fell right next to her.

Rett exhaled and inhaled, she got off the ground, looking around. She shattered remaining aether crystals as best she could and then continued.

One of the side rooms was a large and dark, filled with sweet, heavy stench. Rett poured more energy into her illuminating talisman. She was not mistaken. It was a stench of decaying bodies. Laying on tables were slowly decomposing open carcasses. Dissected.

She started to frantically look at each body's face. Not Xim, Not Xim, Not Xim, wait...

A couple of very fresh, not yet open bodies held some resemblance to Catherine Grenz. Gods! This must have been her sisters.. That means... Where the fuck is Xim?!

Rett crouched to one of the bodies laying on the ground. Something sharp stung her into her back.

"Aargh." she grunted, as she felt down. The whole world was spinning and a dark haze clouded her vision. "Xim..." she only breathed out, extending her arm. In the darkness above she could see Gaufridson's pale green eyes behind the oculars. He chuckled. And the rest was darkness...


	7. Chapter V – To Pieces

**Chapter V – To Pieces**

The deafening noise of Xim's body crashing onto the metallic cage had spread through the well hole.

"Aargh!" She grunted. The pain overwhelmed Xim, as she was clutching on the side of the cage. The cage was swinging from one side to another. The small aetherial crystals were tearing her skin. She was covered in bruises and scratches, blood pounding in her head.

"Aaaargh!"

She screamed. The pain was overwhelming. Gathering all strength she could muster she started to drag herself on top of the cage. She could feel warm tears rolling down her face.

One more pull up... And then another one...  
She started to climb up the chain. She couldn't risk Rett not finding her. She was imagining Rett waiting for her just at the top of the well. That thought alone made her stronger.

One more pull up... One more grunt of pain...

Xim's arms and fingers were numb...

One more pull up...

With every breath she could feel the struggle of her body to stay conscious. Adrenaline was the only thing keeping her alive.

* * *

Rett woke up in a room full of crates and strange medical equipment. She was fastened to an iron chair. She had an awful headache. Little did she know, that about half an hour ago this was Xim's chair.

Gaufridson was staring at her with a gleeful smile, that was sending shivers down Rett's spine. He head his aetherial scepter out and was pulling tables around the room.

"Oh you are awake. Good, good." he grinned.

"Where is Xim?" Rett said firmly.

"Oh, she'll get all the attention she needs once I'm finished with you." Gaufridson pulled a small iron table just next to Rett's right hand, that fastened to the armrest.

"You'll get what's coming, asshole." Rett breathed out, her eyes full of fury.

"Charming. But not enough. You killed my people. And I am a sucker for some good-old-fashioned revenge." Gaufridson was still smiling. He was angry. Furious. His eyes spoke of suffering that was coming to Rett.

"Pity. You would make a lovely subject. But I'm gonna enjoy you... in other way." he closed in. He held her right hand down, unfastened it and forced it on the iron table.

Rett struggled with all strength she could muster. He raised his leg and stepped on the front part of her forearm, keeping her hand in place on the table.

"Let's make sure that you can't use those revolvers anymore." Gaufridson's grin was filled with hatred.

With wide swing, putting all his body power into the hit, he brought the thorned scepter down on Rett's hand.

The pain was indescribable. All air escaped Rett's lungs as she screamed, feeling her palm shatter under the hit. Fingers broken to shreds. The pain pulsated upwards through her arm.

Through painful haze and watery eyes she caught the glimpse of the damage. Her fingers were bent in unnatural angles, completely covered in her crimson blood. Her palm was one big gashing wound.

Gaufridson took the limp arm and fastened it back. It was horrid look, and Rett could feel her consciousness trying to leave her.  
"Don't you sleep on me, bitch." Gaufridson hit her into face with his hand. She couldn't even feel it over the pain that was coming from the right side of her body.

"Now let's continue." Gaufridson's voice was in a haze.

"Fuuk... u..." Rett muttered, on the edge of delirium.

"Oh, oh. Still feisty, are we?!" he laughed. "We'll see how tough bitch you really are."

Gaufridson grabbed one of Rett's guns, that was laying on the side. He unfastened her left hand.

What the fuck is he doing?!

Holding her left hand he spoke: "I'm going to give you a chance to finish this you dumb fuck. You think how tough you are? Well, we'll see." maniacal chuckle escaped his lips.

Gaufridson pressed the gun into Rett's left hand, putting her finger on the trigger. He lifted her hand with the gun up towards Rett's left temple, forcing her to aim through her own head. Then he leaned in.

He positioned his head next to her right ear. If she'd press the trigger, the shot would go straight through her head and hit his temple too.

Perfect final shot. Taking the bastard with her.

Gaufridson whispered into Rett's ear. "Well... Are you tough enough?" she felt his breath.

"End this, you stupid cunt!"

She could feel her hand tremble. Pain still pulsating through her, she felt the finger on the trigger. Gaufridson's arms holding her in place. His breath on her ear.

"END IT!" his shout rang through her ear.

She felt the tears streaming on her face. Her finger pressing on the trigger. She was the one supposed to die doing this. It should have been so easy taking this bastard to hell. Just end it.

End it all.

Xim.

Where is she?

Will she be able to get out of here?

Xim.

And Rett realized she couldn't. She couldn't just end it all. She had to be there.  
For Xim.

"No." she grunted. Her voice firm.

"No." she repeated. She was ready. Ready for all the pain, all the suffering, all the torture in the world. Ready to keep on struggling.

Even if he would kill her in the next minute, she would fight to the last second.

* * *

Some time earlier – Xim's body thud on the ground as she emerged form the well. Covered in bruises, cuts, and dirt, she crawled on the ground.

The room around her was big an quite well lit – with lanterns and torches around.

Her... Her equipment. Was laying on the nearby table. The possessed clearly went through it, looking for anything they could use. But her robes were still there.

Score. She dragged herself to them. Just... a couple... more feet...

Xim extended her arm and pulled her robes down form the table. Her belt was still with them.

Are there any... She frantically searched through the belt and the pouches.

There were.

A few.

Tonics of mending. Thank god they don't help aetherials. It was the only reason they left them.

Xim poured one of the tonics down her dried throat. She always hated them. But that night was an exception. Bittersweet relief spread through her veins.

Xim laid on the ground and felt how the pain leaves her. She laughed, from exhaustion and relief.

One more.

She drank one more tonic and then slowly got up. Her whole body still hurt like hell, but she could walk. Cast a spell even. She searched what remained of her equipment. Thankfully her sword was there too. Aetherial's didn't like Ch'thonian magic. Good.

A couple minutes (and a drink of water and another tonic) later Xim quietly headed out of the room. She was expecting resistance, but found none. Where was everybody?

With her sword at ready she slowly continued through darkened corridors.

A sound tore through the air.

Horrid scream of pure agony. Nearby.

Rett's scream.

* * *

"No." Rett repeated again.  
Gaufridson leaned back, trying to tear the gun from her hand.

She moved her head aside, resisting him with her left arm.

"Stupid bitch!" he growled as they struggled. "I'll end you myself."

Then... His grasp weakened. He grunted in pain. The bright red glow spread from under him.

The Sigil of Consumption.

Rett gasped. She quickly tore the gun from his grip.

He fell back on his knee.

A flash of red energy of chaos sparked behind his back.

"Wha...!" he started. But did not finish.

A blade, burning with the flames of Soael went right through his heart, from his back to his chest.

Xim appeared with her Chaos Strike spell behind him.

Rett was gripping her gun. Mouth open.

"No. I'll end YOU, you fucker." Xim said as she twisted her sword in Gaufridson. He twitched. Then fell to the ground, utter disbelief in his eyes.

Xim stabbed. And stabbed. And stabbed. Until Gaufridson's body was just a pile of torn pieces, drenched in black blood.

Tears of anger in her eyes, she cut the head off his body to make sure that Mauricius Gaufridson was, once and for all... dead.

* * *

Rett just stared at the whole thing. She was still holding her gun.

Xim breathed in and out. She looked at Rett. Both women had their eyes red from tears. Of pain, anger and now... Relief.

Xim Dropped her gun and jumped towards Rett. She furiously searched through her robes until she pulled out a small vial of mending tonic. She poured it into Rett's mouth.

As the haze of pain started to calm, Rett laughed... The were alive. Both of them. The tonic was still dripping from her mouth as she laughed. Xim hugged her. Both of them were laughing, crying tears of joy. "I love you, I love you so much." They both repeated.

* * *

Xim helped Rett gather her things and put her hand into a cloth. They were both tired beyond death, but they just wanted to get out as soon as possible. No one else was alive.

Carefully, they loaded the bodies of the Gratz girls onto a cart and dragged it to the lift. As they were ascending from the darkness, Xim held Rett's healthy hand.  
Carefully, they stepped out of the mine, but no more resistance was met.

Under one of the cliff overhangs, they tried to sleep. Rett's hand was in too much pain to really fall asleep. She watched over Xim instead. They were both dirty and hurt but they were finally free.

As the sun was rising they gathered some wood and burned the bodies of the Gratz girls on a pyre. No corruption would take them.

Both Rett and Xim sat down looking at the sparks flying to the waking up sky.

"Thank you." Rett breathed out.

"You came for me Rett, I should be thanking you." Xim stopped her.

"You saved me Xim." Rett turned to Xim. "I can do some killing, but... It's you, who did the saving." Rett's voice was calm, somber.

"If I didn't get taken..." Xim started.

"No. Stop." Rett grabbed Xim's hand. She turned to Xim and their eyes met. To Xim's surprise Rett's eyes were watery.

"You saved me Xim. I was reckless. I was stupid. You saved me... And it's all gonna be... Better."

Rett hugged Xim.

Xim didn't say anything. She just hugged Rett too.

* * *

The sun was high in the sky when they finally found their horse, patently waiting for them. He gave them concerned look. They looked like hell.  
The road back to village was lengthy and painful. Rett's hand didn't heal properly, and both she and Xim had to consume a lot of the thinning supply of mending tonics.

When they finally reached the village of Frightbor, the graying guardsman gave them shelter in his house. The whole village wanted to help their saviors and they brought what they could. Bandages, herbs, milk, meat.

In about a week of rest, it was time to continue on the road. Xim and Rett decided to travel up north to bigger settlements, where they could replenish their magical supplies, rest some more and then look for a job.

Wounds on Rett's right hand healed slowly, but it was clear it is beyond saving. The fingers were barely able to lift a spoon and the hand trembled under any pressure.  
To keep herself distracted from the pain, she vigorously trained shooting with her left hand.

Xim's bruises healed well, but it took her many days, till her body was able to properly eat again as it was trying to flush the aetherial corruption out of the system. Often she woke up with stomach aches, but eventually even those stopped and usual nightmares of void took their place once again.

The guardsman help them build a travois for the horse and they said their goodbyes. It was early morning and the sun was hiding behind misty haze.

Xim insisted Rett rests and climbed the horse, while Rett laid down on the travois.  
Xim huddled up into her grey robes. Those undergone some repairs – just like Rett's coat, that was now covering Rett on the travois, enchanted runes gently sparkling in the morning light.

The loyal horse started his journey once again, Xim on his back, gently stroking his mane. She turned back to her companion on the travois and smiled.  
Travois was calmly bumping on the road with familiar dragging noise.  
Rett rested, eyes closed, holding her wide-brimmed hat in her hands. The blue streak of hair gently laying next to her face.

Xim felt like something has changed about Rett. Xim turns forward again. Grey hood on her head shields her eyes from the sunrise light. A horse walks slowly towards the pale blue sunrise.

_THE END_


End file.
